David Nofoaluma has officially left Wests Tigers after accepting a $300,000 settlement to terminate the final two years of his contract. The resolution puts an end to a contentious standoff between the club and its leading try-scorer. Nofoaluma, the club’s all-time top try-scorer, will no longer be required to engage with the revamped Tigers board following the mutually agreed departure.
The discord between the parties reached a breaking point, with the Tigers issuing a second breach notice to Nofoaluma within a month. Explosive allegations were made to the Rugby League Players’ Association, claiming that the team’s rookie coach, Benji Marshall, had conveyed to Nofoaluma that he would not play in the NRL again if he remained with the Wests Tigers.
This situation echoed a bitter feud from nearly eight years ago involving club legend Robbie Farah and then-coach Jason Taylor, who attempted to force Farah out by suggesting he would be relegated to reserve grade if he stayed.
A potential repeat of history was averted with the agreement reached on Tuesday. Wests Tigers declined to provide comments when approached by the Herald.
Nofoaluma’s second sanction in a month occurred due to a failure to adhere to club protocols for missing training because of illness. Despite notifying a club official about his inability to attend training due to gastro, Nofoaluma did not respond to the club doctor’s attempts to contact him for the next 48 hours. The club, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach him, had to send a player to check on his well-being.
In December, it was reported that Nofoaluma refused to attend training, citing unfair treatment by the club, including grievances with the coaching staff’s training methods. His physical struggles and fitness levels were evident upon his return to pre-season training, and he faced sanctions for arriving late to a training session before the Christmas break.
Despite having two seasons left on his contract with the club, valued at approximately $525,000 per season, Nofoaluma has faced multiple breach notices in recent years. In 2021, he was removed from the senior leadership group after attending training hungover following the wedding of the former chairman’s daughter.
The Tigers had been attempting to transfer Nofoaluma to another club for the past two years, even loaning him to the Melbourne Storm in 2022. However, disagreements on the financial terms of his release hindered any successful negotiations. Nofoaluma’s services were also of interest to the Super League.
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